2013: Mission Hills In; Christian Waits

One San Diego team is in the State Bowl Southern Regional playoffs and another will learn its fate Monday.

Mission Hills (12-1) was invited to play host to the Central Section champion Bakersfield Drillers (11-2) Saturday night, Dec. 14, in Division I.

Christian, which defeated San Marcos, 19-7, for the San Diego Section III title, filed suit to be considered as a D-IV entry in the state playoffs.

A hearing is scheduled in  San Diego Superior Court Monday.

The  winner  of Mission Hills-Bakersfield will take on either the Central Coast’s San Mateo Serra (11-2) or the Sac-Joaquin’s Loomis Del Oro (12-2), which play in the North Regional.

The Grizzlies solidified their standing as the San Diego Section’s best team with a 36-14 win over Oceanside in the Open Division final.  Bakersfield defeated Clovis North, 60-21, for the Central Section I title.

Bakersfield’s two losses were early in the season to Westlake Village Oaks Christian, 51-50, and Long Beach Poly, 27-7.  Mission Hills was beaten, 13-10, in overtime by San Marcos.

A CHEER FOR CHRISTIAN

Coach Matt Oliver has presided over four San Diego Section championship teams and had two others advance to the finals in his 15 seasons at Christian,  but no title was more satisfying than this.

The Patriots (12-1), enrollment less than 400, defeated San Marcos (9-5), enrollment more than 2,200, by a score of 19-7 in the D-III championship at Mesa College.

Paris Miller drove  the Patriots’ offense with 217 yards in 28 carries and a 12-yard touchdown run.  Sebastian Swift led the defense with 10 tackles, a quarterback sack, two interceptions (one returned 45 yards for a touchdown), and recovered a fumble.

RED DEVILS CLOSE FAST

Sweetwater (9-4), which lost four of its first five games, won its eighth in a row, longest streak for the school since 1986, and its first championship since 1984, scoring late to defeat  Monte Vista (7-6), 7-0, for the D-IV title.